In Life Goals, Part 1, I told you that I would share with you what I call “My Life’s word”.

My life’s word sums up all of my goals and dreams, it is the one word that I hope will describe my life after I’ve died and they put my body in the ground.  For me this word is Faithful.

Faithful [feyth-fuh l]

adjective

1. strict or thorough in the performance of duty: a faithful worker.

2. true to one's word, promises, vows, etc.

3. steady in allegiance or affection; loyal; constant: faithful friends.

4. reliable, trusted, or believed.

5. adhering or true to fact, a standard, or an original; accurate: a faithful account; a faithful copy.

6. Obsolete. full of faith; believing.

noun

7. the faithful.

1. the believers, especially members of a Christian church or adherents of Islam.
2. the body of loyal members of any party or group.


I will never be perfect... I’ve failed too many times for that. But if I keep getting back up when I stumble, if I keep seeking  Him and put His Will first in all things, if I keep pressing on toward the goal, then I may be faithful.

I love the quote in Matthew 25:14-30 (read it!), “Well done my good and faithful servant”. That’s all I want out of life, to be called faithful. Every one of my goals require that trait.

What word reflects the goals that you have?

My life’s mission statement reflects this same idea:

“Faithfully commit my life to the Lord as a willing and faithful servant.”

Romans 12:1-2
"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy,
to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."

“Faithfully commit my life to the Lord as a willing and faithful servant.”

How can I do anything less than this in view of His great love, mercy and faithfulness? Yet, the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. It’s a struggle. Romans 7:14-25. Why do you think that the entire Scripture is full of either pleas for the ungodly to repent or warnings to the righteous not to be deceived or fall away? Be alert, be on guard and be ready to take your stand against the devils schemes. It is a struggle, it is a war.

The Bible is full of examples of men and women who exemplify the trait of faithfulness.... or the lack thereof. One of the most striking is found in Matthew 26, Peter's pledge of faithfulness to the Lord and then his brokenness of heart when he realizes that he was not faithful. I don't want to weep those bitter tears. Thankfully, we can see from Peter's example, that God can use us even when we fail.

In my next and final post in this series, I will share in depth on my first 3 life goals as well as list the rest of my goals for your perusal. Hopefully you will be inspired to write your own goals. When you do, don't keep them shut-up in a notebook. Tape them somewhere where you can read them frequently, share them with friends and family that they may encourage you and keep you accountable. Who knows, maybe you will inspire someone to write their own goals. :)

I leave you with this excerpt:

Hebrews 3:12-14 "See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end." 

Blessings in all your goal writing endeavors,

Bethany 

These are just my thoughts lately. Let me know your thoughts, are these ‘myths’ really myths? What’s your opinion? 

We’ve all heard it, read it, or maybe even said it! It usually goes something like this; “The single years are the best time for traveling! Once you have a family you will be stuck.”. Really? Since when do singles have more time, money and resources to travel then their married counterparts? Is God not capable of supplying the resources and circumstances for traveling whether it is for one person or one family? 

I’ve known families that have had the privilege of traveling to Israel and staying for a couple weeks! Something that I have not (and probably won’t!) had the privilege to do, even as a single person.

Keep in mind, too, what is the purpose of traveling? Is it to go gallivanting around the country (or the world) merely for the purpose of traveling? Or is it something more; spreading the good news to all who will listen (Mat 28:19  "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit"), showing love to the poor and needy or ministering to other believers (Romans 12:10).

You want to be married? Oh, but don’t you know! Your single years are the best time for cultivating your relationship with God. They are?  Are the married years not also a time for cultivating my relationship with God?
Is that why single women are always so much wiser and godlier then their married peers? (Sarcasm).

No, I don’t think that the single years are better for cultivating my relationship with God. By some speakers and authors I am told that singleness is the best time to grow spiritually because I am only dependent on God to fill my needs and desires. While other people will claim that marriage affords the greatest opportunity for growth because the two can seek God in a special way, the challenges of marriage will draw you closer to God, you are better able to understand the relationship between Messiah and His bride, etc…

Every season of life provides opportunity for growth! You’re not going to miss out on some grand opportunity for growth because you got married early in life. Many of the ‘lessons of singleness’ can be learned while married. Think about it.

Isn’t that a blessing? You have the gift of singleness. How nice. 

Yup… the gift of singleness… whoopee. Just what I always wanted.
I  personally don’t see this idea in scripture. But don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that singleness is an inferior stage of life… but when it comes to calling it a ‘gift’… that’s not exactly the first word that comes to my mind. In some ways singleness has been a gift for me, learning homemaking skills etc, but in other ways it hasn't felt like a gift. When was I given this gift? Was I born with it? Does my ‘gift’ get taken away when I get married? That’s not very nice. If singleness is a gift wouldn't I want to hold on to it as long as possible (like I would a marriage or motherhood)?

The way I see it, neither marriage nor singleness are inherently better than the other. Every day is a gift from God, whether you are single or married. Singleness is hardwork, marriage is hardwork, life is hardwork (at least if it's worth living then it is!). Let’s stop trying to make the singles feel better about their position in life. We singles are learning to accept where we are and love life as it is! But then again, aren’t we all?

Just some thoughts.

What are yours?

-Bethany-
"Trust in YHWH with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."

*******Edit********
A friend pointed this verse out to me- 1 Corinthians 7:7 "I wish that all of you were as I am. But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that." In context what this verse is actually calling singleness a gift (and marriage  is a gift)- interesting huh? I have a lot of thoughts on this verse (and that whole section in general!)... but I still need to do more study on it. For example; Paul mentions several times that he is stating his opinion, one of the first commands is 'be fruitful and multiply', what were the circumstances behind the advice? In 1 Corinthians 7:8 Paul counsels widows to remain single, but in 1 Timothy 5:14 he councils the opposite- I think there is more than meets the eye in these sections of scripture. Regardless, singleness is a ‘gift’ after all :) who’d a thunk!

In my last post, ‘Life Changes’, I told you that I will be scaling back my volunteer time because of some recent life changes. It is mainly one life change.

That life change is the start of a part-time job with a local crisis pregnancy center organization (CPC). This is the same CPC organization that I had already been volunteering with at the Centers on a weekly basis. The administrative office had an opening for a part-time Administrative Assistant. I applied for the position and, after an interview and prayer, I was accepted on team. I start my first day tomorrow, the 14th of July. Thankfully, they generously allowed me to re-work my hours so I can still volunteer at a center every week.

So how will this change the way my life is right now? Besides scaling back my volunteer time there are a few other things. Here are the pros and cons:

Pros:

-This job provides a godly, wholesome work environment where I can work with other Christians.

-Having this job gives me the ability to support one of my favorite ministries and improve my skills in various areas of life.

-I will still be able to do 2 of my 3 jobs. I babysit early in the mornings and that job is on my way to work and let’s me get to work with about 40 minutes to spare. In those 40 minutes I can work on my online job with Rawlife.com. Also, I can spend my 30 minute lunch break processing orders. However, I can no longer nanny the 4 year old boy because I’ll be working until 2:30 most days. So, now Emily will be his care giver.

Cons:

-More time working means less time cooking. I love cooking and experimenting in the kitchen.

-I probably won’t get to do the grocery shopping as often.

-It will be harder to make time for special events and traveling.

I am excited to start this job because I believe this is where Yahweh wants me right now. Or to put it in Christianese- This is where the Lord has me for this season of life ;)

Shalom.

Bethany :)

Hey, it’s me, Bethany. Remember me? I’m one of those girls who wrote for this blog a long, long time ago.

Here’s an update on what has been going on here.

At the beginning of March, my dad informed me that Paul Nison (an acquaintance of ours) had posted a job opening on his Facebook page. The job was part-time and could be done from anywhere as long as internet is available. After prayerfully considering the position, I shot Paul a private message to let him know of my interest in the position.  Paul quickly got back to me and hired me after a phone interview, sharing the job description and hours I would work. Working for Paul these past few months has been fun and somewhat challenging. It can be difficult to work-in time to ‘do the orders’ but I’m getting the hang of it.

 Last fall, Emily and I had signed up to attend Purify 2014, however, not enough people signed up for the event and it was cancelled. As bummed as we were that it was cancelled, we were excited to learn that Jocelin was organizing a ‘Singles mini-weekend’ over that same weekend. Attending the mini-weekend was such an encouragement to me and my single sisters (Lydia went with us!). We carpooled with our friends and shared some fun times together (including a stop to horse back ride). As sole driver to and from the weekend, my right arm was noticeably darker then the other for weeks!

Speaking of sun exposure, we Potts kids had the wildly amazing opportunity to go to Florida for the first time in our short lives! We went to Jacksonville for the Revive 2014 Conference and made a great time of it.

My dad planned for us to leave a day early so we could play in the ocean, which we did, it was a very enjoyable outing. Of course, for the rest of the conference we all looked like lobsters… but it was worth it.

Revive is a Hebraic Roots conference hosted by HRN (The Hebraic Roots Network). It is a conference that has speakers, worship, and fun activities. Every day there was a general session which would consist of Praise and worship (through song and dance), a speaker (the speakers included; Rico Cortez, Ed Harris and Brad Scott) and various breakout sessions. Many times it was hard to pick which breakout session to attend!! Who wants to be forced to pick between dance class or listening to John Diffenderfer give a breakout session called “The Marriage Commandments: Ten Keys to Bliss” (I picked the dance class, by the way. I can always buy an mp3 of John D’s message). One of the activities I attended was the Youth Pizza Party, even though I’m not a youth and I didn’t eat pizza. All my siblings are youth and they did have pizza, and most of my friends were there, so I got permission to attend and had a great conversation with my new friend, Rachel D.

Paul Nison also attended the conference and I was able to help him run his table in the marketplace… actually I just stood around and watched Paul run it. It was really just a one person job, so Paul said I should just run along and socialize.

On the last night, as group of us sat socializing near the top of the escalators, we were throwing ideas around about starting a ministry that focuses on the weightier matters of the law without neglecting the rest (Matthew 23:23). One of the main goals is to encourage each other to be actively involved in our communities. It’s so refreshing to know that it’s not just me and my friends, in our little town, who have these desires and goals. As we were formulating ideas for what this group would be and do, someone suggested we go to the Father in prayer and ask that whatever we do would bring glory to him. We joined hands in prayer as one of the guys prayed aloud and the rest of us joined him as one heart. Less then a minute after the ‘amen’ was said, a woman came up the escalator and informed us that there was a homeless man outside who was asking for eight dollars. She told him that she knew of some people who may be able to help him and that’s when she came to us. We all knew what we needed to do and we followed the woman outside and to the homeless man.

 As I walked to the bench he was sitting on, I could see the troubled man; he looked discouraged, head hanging as he looked into the palms of his hands. I followed the others as, one by one, we shook his hand. His name was James and he needed eight dollars. We all knew that he needed more than eight dollars, but he softly insisted that he only needed eight dollars. My friend, Caleb, took the lead communicated our collective desire to share what we had with him. Christian also spoke, telling James what had just transpired upstairs. We asked James if and how we could pray for him. As Caleb prayed, I was overcome with a feeling to give my bible to James. I thought, “Is God asking me to give my bible away? My bible? I can’t do that!”. Surely he wasn’t asking me to give up my bible, it had been mine for years, ever since I was a Christian and was filled with all sorts of notes, dates-to-remember and even pictures. My heart sank and my eyes filled with tears, as I protested in my heart the feeling would not go away- so I prayed “make me willing”. Then, after Caleb finished praying, we all gave to James some money. I then knelt down next to James, where I was standing, and asked him, “James, do you have a Bible?”.   I prayed that he would say ‘yes’ and I could keep mine. “No”, he said quietly. I pulled my cherished bible from my bag and gave it to James. I felt relief, joy and sadness rush through my heart as that book left my hands. I told him that he could have my bible if  he promised to read it.., he solemnly promised he would. Soon others were giving from their hearts as well, Shanteyl gave a small bottle of anointing oil and Chris gave a bottle of essential oils. After another prayer and some encouraging words we returned to the hotel, believing in our hearts that we had just left James with more then eight dollars; we left him with hope.

In awe of how God had just worked, we continued the late night planning until the group dropped off, one by one, each person needing sleep for their journey home the next morning.

We are still in the process of organizing this ministry, but already this group has provided young adults with a place of encouragement from their peers. These peers have the same desire to serve as Yeshua served; the same desire to love as Yeshua loved; and the same desire to give an answer for the hope that is in us, to anyone who asks.

Ironically, even though I am now a part of a ministry that encourages people to be involved in their communities, I must scale back my time spent volunteering because of some recent life changes. I will be writing about those life changes in my next post.

Until then,

Shalom,

Bethany :)

Some of us participated in this flash mob at Revive 2014

Pros:

- It is a time efficient way to chop wood (so it allows you more time for the important things in life… like watching moss grow on the side of Mount Everest)

- It will be sure to captivate your spectators

- Using this machine will enable you to be fat and happy

- No need to replace ‘fuel’ that you would have burned chopping the wood by hand

- You would be less likely to injure yourself then if you used  an axe

- This machine would be more practical in jobs that need completed quickly or if you have large amounts of wood that need to be chopped on a regular basis

Cons:

- Chopping wood with a machine burns fewer calories then chopping manually (manual wood chopping burns greater then 400 calories an hour)

- Sitting in this machine gives you none of the social time, none of the camaraderie, and none of the relationship building that that chopping wood with other men would

- You would be more likely to injure others with heavy machinery then with an axe

- No fresh air

- The machine requires fuel

- And lastly, it’s a lot more expensive to fix your machine then your axe…

This is a joke. This real post is about…

The Pros and Cons of sharing a room with two of your sisters!

Cons:

- It’s hard not to wake up sister #1 when you and sister #2 are early risers

- When you wake up earlier then sister #1, it’s hard to see without the light on

- Not having a light on in the morning makes it more difficult to see where you’re going and where your things are

- Changing clothes is a cold experience when sister #1 turned the space heater off and sister #2 left the door opened, allowing the heat to escape and the cold to be sucked into the room faster then a raisin being sucked into a vacuum hose

- Apparently, my sisters think that the best time to have a conversation starts at the same time that I fall asleep

- Also, don’t be surprised if the sisters come to bed late and act as if it’s the middle of the day; turning on lights, talking and banging things around (Thankfully, they don’t do this anymore)

- You may be woken up needlessly by your sister’s alarm because she set a reminder for 12:30pm but accidentally set it for 12:30am…

Pros:

- You get to have a ‘sister night’ more often because you are all in the same room anyway

- You learn the valuable skill of compromise (the more sisters there are, the more you have to compromise)

- You learn patience… oy vey

- The room stays cleaner because you have two sisters nagging you to make your bed instead of just one!

-Sometimes sister #2 makes your bed because she can’t stand when it’s unmade- I think this is a bonus!

Okay, this post is a little silly.. But we all need a reminder to lighten up!

Do you have a list of Pros and Cons to share?

While I used these lists as a fun way to relieve stress, you can also use them when making a decision, such as; Where should I shop for a new skirt? (Department Store or Goodwill); Which cell phone should I buy? Should I play a prank on my mom?

Have fun!

Bethany

Hey you guys! Perhaps you've heard of the movie "Frozen". I haven't actually seen the movie but I was introduced to one of the songs, "Let it Go", through a friend. The song had such a dramatic, beautiful melody but the words were rather rude and rebellious (i.e. "I don't care what they're going to say!", "No right, no wrong, no rules for me! I'm free!")... but the tune stayed with me and I would randomly start singing it. Having that song constantly running through my head (and not even remembering the words!) was getting so annoying! So I started making up my own words. One day I was cleaning the kitchen with Lydia when we started coming up with a bunch of different words in place of "let it go". Suddenly at almost the same instant we started singing "let it grow"! We both started laughing as we started making up more words. If you know anything about our family then you know that my dad has a beard, my brothers both want beards (they aren't quite old enough to grow their own :(), and our brother-in-law, Joe, has a pretty long beard. Beards have been a part of our lives since the beginning- my dad had a beard when he married my mom.

  So anyway... enjoy our song about beard growing in a bald faced world..

They're peanut buttery, chocolaty and perfect for Passover. Yum. Unleavened Peanut Butter Cookie Balls are the perfect recipe to make ahead for Unleavened Bread/Matzah Week (also referred to as ULB). I found the recipe for these cookies even before I knew what leaven was- then when we started keeping the Feast of Unleavened bread; it occurred to me that these cookies fit the requirement for any food that is to be eaten during the Feast. First of all they are unleavened, secondly they are super easy to make (that's not actually a requirement) and third, they are absolutely scrumptious (actually, that's not a requirement either- but it should be!).

Here's the Recipe I used (altered enough to my own liking that it is almost completely different from the original! ha)

Unleavened Peanut Butter Ball Cookies

1 cup Soft White Flour 

1/3 cup Raw Cane Sugar

1/3 cup Sucanat

1 cup Natural Peanut Butter

1 cup Chocolate Chips

1 Egg

Combine all ingredients. It may seems dry, but trust me, it works. Next, pack dough into cookie scoop and place balls on cookie sheet and bake at 350* for 9 minutes. Let cool and remove from sheet.

So, the good news is- here's a fun recipe to try!

The bad news is that I didn't get this finished before ULB so you didn't get to try these this year :( And the other bad news is that I tried to make a Trim Healthy Mama version but they weren't worth sharing.  Maybe next time.

Hope your Pesach was as awesome as mine!

Bethany

Preparing to be a Stay-at-home Wife*

The title of this post comes from a thoughtful question that was asked of us by a reader of our blog. (everydaysetapart. com)  Here is what she asked: “How [do you] prepare to be a stay at home wife while being a stay at home daughter?”

 First of all, I would refer back to the Daughters of Yah series we posted back in July. These are articles written by young women (some stay-at-home daughters, some not) that are all desiring, seeking, and walking in God’s will for their life. All of these daughters are beautiful and unique- as they should be! God never intended that we all be perfect little replicas of one ideal.

Think about it like this- in America we all follow (or *should* follow) the same laws but within those laws there is freedom and diversity; Joe can be a Goat Herd on a mountain; George can be an acrobat and Charlie can open a Kosher Deli. God’s Word is our Christian Law and within that Law there is freedom and diversity; Naomi can study herbalism, farming, and agriculture; Samantha can choreograph her own dances and form a dance team; and Elizabeth can continue to develop her cooking skills while also taking online classes on business management. It would be a tragedy if George decided to open a restaurant because that’s what Charlie is doing (and Charlie is an excellent example of godly manhood! Shouldn’t George try to be like him??). Or if Charlie stopped pursuing his potential business because Joe’s life looks so radically different from his own. God calls us all to do different jobs and to different ways of life- So let me encourage you to be who God has called you to be, not who He’s calling Samantha to be! If you ‘seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness’ your life will be different from everyone else’s and very different from the worlds ideal.

 While my sister, Naomi, was a daughter-at-home she had certain skills she sought to develop, such as; understanding and applying Scripture, herbalism, farming, agriculture, prenatal care, midwifery, mothering/child rearing, and hospitality. The way in which she pursued each of these interests might be different than the way you pursue them, if you choose to pursue them at all. She also devoted time to helping at our local food pantry/women’s shelter and thrift shop and Nannying for our neighbor. Maybe God isn’t calling you to that particular type of ministry. Naomi was able to use all these skills as a daughter-at-home and Yahweh knew that Naomi would eventually use the knowledge and materials she acquired as a stay-at-home wife. Yes, that’s right! Naomi’s life as a stay-at-home daughter prepared her to be a stay-at-home wife! If Naomi had tried to emulate the way someone else lives her life as a stay-at-home daughter then she would not have been as well prepared for her life now, as a wife to Joe. The skills she pursued as a stay-at-home daughter laid the perfect foundation for what she is learning and doing now, as a wife. 

Here’s a look into my life right now. My skills and interests are somewhat different from Naomi’s but we still have some things in common. I am seeking to develop skills in writing, painting, cooking, menu planning, and nannying - as well as increasing my knowledge of Scripture and its application, the Hebrew language, biblical health, and fitness, parenting and wifering (My Definition: Skills that are involved in being a good, biblical wife… surprisingly much the same as being a good daughter, sister and friend… but not exactly).

 I am also following Yeshua’s (Jesus) example of a servant by serving as receptionist at a few of our local Life Centers (a pro-life organization) and shadowing in the counseling room in order to become a Peer Counselor myself. It’s important to remember that this type of outreach may not be possible for all stay-at-home daughters. I only have four younger siblings (Clayton and Sherman are 12 and 14; Lydia and Emily are 16 and 18) who do not require ‘looking after’ or cleaning up after (or shouldn’t ;) ). Also, Emily and Lydia need to learn important homemaking skill too! It wouldn’t be right for me to take over all the menu planning, cooking, cleaning etc… Don’t leave your sisters without opportunities to help in your eagerness to prepare. But also don’t leave all of the homemaking responsibilities to others while you pursue your own ministries. I have time to pursue outside ministry and you may not, that’s okay!  We have no farm with animals (however, we’d like to, eventually), no elderly grandparent(s) or pregnant mom that needs my help… do you get my point? I have time. In my life, right now, I have time! And you may not. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t have time for outreach because you are doing “within-reach” by ministering in your own home. If cooking needs done, then cook. If it’s cleaning that your mother needs help with, then clean. Every life is different. But if you have the time, resources and your parent’s approval, then be the hands and feet of Jesus to the needy. 

In her book, No More Wasted Years, Olivia Brodock suggests ways that women can build their skill set for both stay-at-home daughterhood and marriage. Taking a counseling course is one of the recommended things. I have wanted to volunteer with Life Centers for years but I didn’t know how, and I was too young to pursue a position as a peer counselor. Reading that suggestion in her book reminded me that I am old enough now. I talked with my parents and they agreed with Olivia; everyone at some point will offer counsel to someone, so you might as well know how to do it in a biblical, compassionate and loving way! I feel that the training and, one day, actual counseling has and will continue to equip me with skills needed to be an active listener. Being an active listener will enable me to become a better sister, friend and one day, wife.

 Olivia also talks about goal setting, the importance of serving your family and how we should never stop learning. While I don’t agree with everything in Olivia’s book (such as her recommended reading list), I did find her book to be helpful and thought provoking. No More Wasted years is written in short, to-the-point chapters that are able to be read even on a busy day.

 If you’re having trouble filling your days as a stay-ay-home daughter then maybe this book will help you with the different ideas Olivia gives. Talk with your parents and see if they have things for you to do at home first! 

 Lastly, I’d like to remind us all (including me!) that it’s important to have balance. Remember the past, so that you can learn from it- but don’t live in it. Look to the future, so that you can prepare for it- but don’t live in it. Live today. Obey what God has for you to do today. Obedience today is the best preparation for tomorrow.

Bethany

*in case it isn't clear enough from the post;  being a stay-at-home wife or daughter does not mean that we stay at home all day, everyday. In fact, the opposite is true! I am busy inside and outside the home! A stay-at-home daughter is a woman who chooses to remain in her parents home until marriage. Living at home has many advantages to both daughter and parents, spiritually, financially etc. However, it is not for everyone, every situation is different.

It is something we all wonder from time to time. Some more than others. This article is directed to those of us who frequently wonder about our future; those of us who are more curious, wishing with a longing heart to know His will for our life; the special, individual life that He has called you too. 

Let me start off by saying, this is in no way going to be a special formula for learning what your future holds. Instead it communicates the lesson that I have been learning, as a curious young lady, over the past year. That lesson is trust.

Sometimes my mind can be so full of questions that I forget trust altogether. Questions and curiosity are not bad, in fact they can help us to prepare wisely for the future, but sometimes we can go a bit overboard and become worrisome or fretful. Here are some examples of questions that have plagued my mind on occasion, all are without answers… and I still feel that I am far from ever being able to definitively answer them.

-Is this (painting, nannying, volunteering etc.) what Yahweh wants me to be doing or does he want me to be doing something else with my life right now?

-Is there only one plan and perfect will for my life or does He allow me freedom to choose any sound, biblical choice?

-Will I get married or remain single? If I don’t know the answer to this question then how will I adequately prepare for the future?

- There are so many things that I want to do! I don’t think I will ever have the time, money or resources to do them all!      

- Oh… and then there’s the inevitable question that follows- do I really want to do His will? Or is this my own selfishness driving me to this decision?

Here is an encouraging Bible verse I’ve found over the past year that has helped me in the area of ‘just trust’.

Let me give you an example of how I’ve seen this play out in my own life. During Sukkot 2012 I learned of a Missions group that had a very biblical approach to evangelism and the idea of being able to go on one of their trips was exciting! I planned the whole thing out in my head, imagining how I would help, encourage and live out God’s will for me while in a foreign country. I knew that the cost to go on the trip would be fairly expensive, but if this is what God wanted me to do then He would provide. When I brought the idea to my parents they were opposed to it. My heart didn’t understand why they couldn’t see the potential to change lives- Others and my own- for the good of His kingdom! Shortly after that idea ended, Naomi and I found out that we would be going to Kansas to help a friend who was healing her cancer. This was exciting! We would be gone for a month, from February 10th – March 10th  of 2013. In January of 2013 we found out about Joe’s interest in pursuing Naomi. The mission’s trip that I had wanted to participate in was scheduled for January. Going on that mission’s trip would have prevented me from experiencing these special moments in our life as a family. If I had missed all the excitement, all the life changing decisions, conversations and moments it would have been a tragic loss on my part. Yahweh knew what He was doing when He had my parents feel that the mission’s trip would not be a good thing for me at that time in my life. See how true Proverbs 16:9 is?

I have seen this work in my life! I may plan to do something in my life (such as a mission’s trip) but ultimately Yahweh directs my steps. In this case He did it through my willingness to honor my parent’s opposition to something that looked perfectly fine to me! And the idea was perfectly fine, but not for me, at that particular point in my life. And God used my parents to show me that. If I had pushed to have my way, I’m fairly sure that I could’ve persuaded my parents into giving their consent for me to go on this trip but it wouldn’t have been for the right reasons. They would have consented because I’m an adult and (legally) I can do what I want. Plus, they may have let me go, seeing as there was no biblical reason why I shouldn’t have gone, aside from their opposition to it.

In contrast to the mission’s trip, my parents were in full support of the Kansas trip- though it was hard to believe they had given their blessing for that trip! Such an extended stay (a whole month)? So far away from home (nearly 10 hours)? With a friend who, at the time, was barley an acquaintance? This was inconceivable. But, it worked out! Yahweh gave us all a peace about the trip and all the details were working out. We would find out later that it was one of the tools Yahweh used to grow Naomi and Joe’s relationship. I also want to add this; in September/October I had been praying for opportunities to serve, so when I learned of this missions trip my mind was like ‘Ah ha! This is it! This is the answer’. I thought, “ohhh I am so excited! Now I just have to run it by my parents, I’m sure they will agree”. As I told you earlier… that dream died! So, no, that trip was not the fulfillment of that prayer! The Kansas trip was! I am still very thankful for that time in Kansas.

So, when I ‘plan’ to do something (noble as it may be!), I must allow Yahweh to direct my steps.

Life is always going to be full of decisions; some will impact your life in a big way (such as who you will marry, where you will live, if you will follow God etc), while others aren’t going to make as much of a difference (what color of shirt to wear today, if you will have chicken or fish for dinner etc); some are hard and some are easy. For me, the hardest choices to make are when there are two options but they both seem equally good! That’s when having parents and (in some cases) other mentors/counselors really come in handy! Also, lots of prayer and consideration!

In the midst of all your wondering, remember; keep calm... and just trust.

Bethany